Nigeria never in consideration for a spot because the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) failed to submit an entry.
The Academy Unveils Shortlist for the 2023 Oscars Awards
BY Alo Folakemi
December 26, 2022
2:51 pm
The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences unveiled its shortlists for the 2023 Oscars in 10 categories, including international and documentary features as well as original song, original score, hair and makeup, and animated short film. The shortlisted categories, which were made known to the public on December 20, contained well-deserved praises for groundbreaking films such as Avatar: The Way of Water and Amsterdam and surprising snubs for films such as The Batman.
Ninety-two countries and regions submitted films for consideration in the International Feature Film category this year, but only 15 made the cut. Morocco is the only African country that scaled through with its submission of the romantic drama The Blue Caftan. Other countries that made the list include South Korea’s Decision to Leave, India’s Last Film Show, and Argentina’s Argentina, 1985.
Members of the music branch of the Academy voted to determine the shortlist for the original song and original score category. 81 songs were eligible for the original song category, but 15 made the list and it is arguably the most competitive category. Selena Gomez makes her first Oscar appearance with her song “My Mind & Me” from her documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. Her close friend, Taylor Swift snags a nod with “Carolina” from the film Where the Crawdads Sing. Canadian popstar, The Weeknd cinches another Oscar nomination with “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water. Rihanna’s joint effort with Nigerian songstress, Tems, bags a nomination as “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gets a well-deserved recognition.
One hundred and forty-seven eligible titles were submitted for the original score category, but it was sized down to 15. Oscar veterans John Williams and Ludwig Goransson both scored nods for The Fablemans and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever respectively. Alexandre Desplat’s work for the animated feature film Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was also recognized.
The documentary category was split into two this year−Documentary Feature Film and Documentary Short Film. 144 films passed the eligibility criteria for the documentary feature, but 15 were chosen and 98 films passed the documentary short, but 15 were chosen. Documentaries that were predicted to make the list like Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, and American Justice on Trial: People v Newton Anastasia eventually made appearances in the documentary feature and documentary short respectively.
The Oscars would not be the Oscars without surprising snubs. Taylor Swift’s self-directed “All Too Well: The Short Film” was an obvious choice for Documentary Short Film but it failed to make the list. Robert Downey Jr’s Sr., a documentary about his filmmaker father surprisingly failed to get nominated in the Documentary Feature Film category.
“Nobody Like U” a song written by past Oscar winners Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for the animated film Turning Red failed to get a nomination as well despite it breaking records and snagging entries in various Billboard charts.
The music for Selena Gomez’s documentary My Mind & Me may have made the shortlist but the documentary itself was given the cold shoulder despite its incredibly moving depiction of the star’s life and struggles with fame and mental health.
Kendrick Lamar’s We Cry Together starring Taylor Paige did not make the cut for the Live Action Short Film category despite all hopes that it would.
Other surprising snubs include One Republic’s smash hit “I Ain’t Worried” from the film Top Gun: Maverick, Michael Giacchino’s score for The Batman, and Todd Field’s critically acclaimed drama Tar.
Nominations for the 95th Oscars would be announced on January 24, 2023. The ceremony commences on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Children of the Mist
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
Hidden Letters
A House Made of Splinters
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
38 at the Garden
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Argentina, Argentina, 1985
Austria, Corsage
Belgium, Close
Cambodia, Return to Seoul
Denmark, Holy Spider
France, Saint Omer
Germany, All Quiet on the Western Front
India, Last Film Show
Ireland, The Quiet Girl
Mexico, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco, The Blue Caftan
Pakistan, Joyland
Poland, EO
South Korea, Decision to Leave
Sweden, Cairo Conspiracy
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amsterdam
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Blonde
Crimes of the Future
Elvis
Emancipation
The Whale
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Devotion
Don’t Worry Darling
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Nope
She Said
The Woman King
Women Talking
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Time” from Amsterdam
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water
“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
“Ciao Papa” from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Til You’re Home” from A Man Called Otto
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR
“My Mind & Me” from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
“Good Afternoon” from Spirited
“Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
“Stand Up” from Till
“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
“Dust & Ash” from The Voice of Dust and Ash
“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing
“New Body Rhumba” from White Noise
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Black Slide
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Debutante
The Flying Sailor
The Garbage Man
Ice Merchants
It’s Nice in Here
More than I Want to Remember
My Year of Dicks
New Moon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Passenger
Save Ralph
Sierra
Steakhouse
LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
All in Favor
Almost Home
An Irish Goodbye
Ivalu
Le Pupille
The Lone Wolf
Nakam
Night Ride
Plastic Killer
The Red Suitcase
The Right Words
Sideral
The Treatment
Tula
Warsha
SOUND
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Moonage Daydream
Top Gun: Maverick
VISUAL EFFECTS
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
Thirteen Lives
Top Gun: Maverick